sophie's fair

To those who can dream there is no such place as faraway.
-- Anon

when i started watching "felicity", and was introduced to the characters of the show, i was awestruck with 'ben'. it seemed like he was the epitome of a modern guy, and yet, he wasnt pompous at all. so, having a girlish heart, i thought it would be wonderful to meet ben in person, i mean, come on... who wouldnt want to meet such a cute, all-around nice guy?? there's just one problem: the odds were against me. geographically, it wasnt possible for me to even get a glimpse of the guy, plus, even if i knew which state (or country) he currently lived in, the odds of getting that far from where i was just to get an autograph, were less than 1 percent. i had to be content with daydreaming.

All dreams can come true -- if we have the courage to pursue them.
-- Walt Disney

one summer, i was shopping at whole foods minding my own business when my eye wandered off from the gallery of tiramisus and cheesecakes in front of me, to the lone figure in a blue shirt looking around for some healthy snack. i was staring (and i dont stare) at the familiar face, trying to place it. i completely blushed when it looked back at me. imagine when my brain started working again, and i realised who it was... to think i just put on my old blue shirt, and a pair of old pants that day (of all days). the only good thing was, we were both wearing blue...
embarrassed, i hid behind the pasta section gathering enough courage to walk up to scott speedman and be all over him. i felt that everyone was watching my every move as i came up to him, shyly. yes, shyly. i didnt have the heart and guts to go nuts, even to flutter my lashes. he was already smiling when i finally stood in front of him. the only piece of paper i could find was the back of a book of stamps... and i didn't have a pen. he had to ask the guys in the meat section for one. ok, so we went through the routine -- i asked for his autograph, and he signed it as everyone can see in the picture -- but what was special about it was, he was exactly like i imagined him to be, courteous, down-to-earth, not patronising, and definitely not pompous. i guess, in many ways, he is 'ben'. by then, people were staring at us, but i didnt care. i was having fun talking to the guy i naively asked God to let me meet, even just once.

Thou art gone from my gaze like a beautiful dream.
-- George Linley

dreaming about something, no matter how shallow, or grand it is, can really come true if we have faith and ask God to grant our requests. actually, there is nothing shallow about a dream. people are different, and every dream that we have, represents us therefore, it is unique. it took a couple of years before i eventually met scott speedman, sometimes that's the way life goes. it doesnt mean that just because what we wait for takes a long time in coming, we would give up on it. remember, patience is a virtue.
i still dream a lot, knowing that my great expectations for the future would one day be realised.

For nothing is impossible with God.
-- Luke 1:37